The desktop versions of DataSplice are needed in a couple of cases:

Administration Workstations

All configuration is performed through the Administration Client, so any machine that will be used to perform these tasks will need this available. Note that a single install of the Administration Client is capable of connecting to and administering any number of server instances as long as the versions are compatible.

Desktop Access

Often users need to be able to access their views in a desktop or laptop environment. The Remote Client operates the same on both full version of Windows and mobile devices.

Prerequisites

1. Install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later. This can either be installed through Windows Update, or by downloading the installer from Microsoft's website.
2. If the workstation will be used to provision and maintain handheld devices, install Microsoft ActiveSync (available from Microsoft's website). Note that this is not needed for Windows Vista and Windows 7 - the application for connecting to mobile devices is built into the operating system.
   

Local Installation

1. Create the target folder for the clients. Similar to the server installation, we recommend to create a folder for each instance (C:\Program Files\DataSplice3.1\Dev\). This allows you to run different (and possibly incompatible) version on the various instances as part of development and testing.
2. If desired, use the add_admin_shortcut.bat and add_remoteclient_shortcut.bat scripts in the <DataSplice Root>\Clients\Desktop\Resources\Scripts\ folder to create shortcuts that will show up in the Programs menu.
   

Network Install

To simplify network administration, the clients can also run over a network share:

1. Create a network share for the <DataSplice Instance>\Clients folder so the applications can be accessed over the network (this can also be useful for local client installations).
2. Permission must be granted to run .NET code on the network share:
• Edit the Desktop\Resources\Scripts\trust_network_share.bat file to reference the network share being used.
• Execute this script from each workstation that will be using DataSplice. This will require administrative permissions on the machine.

SQL Server for Offline Clients

If the DataSplice client is going to be used in offline mode on a desktop a version of SQL Server is needed to persist data on the machine.

SQL Server Express

The easiest way to do this is to install SQL Server Express. A download package can be obtained from DataSplice that has the basic installer, plus a script that does the following:

• Creates a named instance of SQL Server (DATASPLICE)
• Configures the sa account to use a known password that is used by default by the data store plug-in
• Creates an initial DataSplice database that will be used to store all the tables and other data offline
  

Other Versions of SQL Server

If an instance of SQL Server is already installed, or you prefer to use the Developer/Enterprise edition, this can work as well:

• Details about configuring the client-side plug-in will be covered later in the course
• Typically the database should be configured to allow trusted connections
• Create a DataSplice database, and ensure that any local accounts that will use it are in the administrator role for that database